Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-11-18
PREHISTORIC AMERICANS
The Mound Builders and Their Work
"A Fort in Ohio Over One Thou
sand Years Old.

Prof. F. W. Putnam, curator of Pes.
BODY Museum at Cambridge, Mass, and
perhaps the most distinguished archaol-
ogist In America, lectured before the
Western Reserve Historical Society last
evening, says the Cleveland Herald. on
the mounds and mound -bui.d ers of Ohio
Prof. Putnsm has spent the mast two
months In exploring the great SERPENT
mound in Adams county.
"There were," said the speaker. "four
great antique races on this continent, or
the people, If of one race, show a greater
diversity than any other on earth. For
instance, We found in one mound in OHIO
fifteen hundred skeletons, and these were
OF various sizes and different in their
characteristics. The four great races
can be resolved into two-the long head
ed people and the people with short and
broad heads There is evidence that the
long headed people came from Northern
Asia, and IN crossing Behring Strait con-
tlnued their way down as far as Cali
lorna. Then they crossed TO the great
lakes, went down the st. Lawrence, made
their way along the Atlantic coast as far
south as North Carolina, and then spread
themselves into Ohio and PENNSYLVANIA.
There Is evidence that they resembled the
people of Northern Asia in face and form.
lac short-headed people had the char
acterlstics of the people of Southern
ASIA, and resembled the Malay race. The
hrst traces of them we find in Peru and
Central America. From there they work
ed toward the north into Mexico. New
Mexico, Arizona and following the rivers
which empty into the gulf of Mexico,
notably the Mississippi, they mingled at
last with the long people in Ten
nessee and Ohio aid were finally absorb
ed by them. The Indian is a descendant
OF those Two races" The speaker then
went or to describe the mounds built by
these people. He told how the former
method of digging hole in the center of
mound, which was at first practiced BY
explorers, has been abandoned for a
more exhaustive method or research
Prof. Putnam does not excayate the
mounds, but slices them off inperpendic-
alar sections until the whole mound has
been laid open to inspection. He des-
crlbed at length the use of the mounds
Tor burial, and said there were many WAYS
IN which the bodies were prepared for
lnterment. Sometimes they were crema-
ted and sometimes simply laid in the
ground; sometimes rough stone tomb
surrounded the bodies and sometimes a
sort of log house work OF timber.
Besides the burial mounds, there are
other mounds" said the speaker. THAT
Is, mounds used Tor great religious cere-
monies. have been making explorations
In the Little Miami Valley, and I am glad
at this time to pay tribute to the work
of Col. Whittlesay in the Little Miami
valley. To him we owe much of our in
formation of the ancient Lake Superior
mining, as well as of the mounds of the
Little Miami Valley. The mounds in that
valley are sacred mounds: that is. they
were for the purpose of sacrifice and re-
lglous ceremonies. On these mounds
fires were kindled and sacrifices were
made-not human sacrifices, but sacri-
fees to the fire. In one of these mounds
we found terra-ootta figures, beautifully
carved and perfect representations of
people in perfect attitude of rest, and
there was nothing to suggest action.
There were, besides these' stone. images
of fine shape. There were copper
pendants and thousands of copper beads.
Many earrings were found of copper coy
cred with native silver, ana over 60,OHO
pearls. 1t seemed as if all the pearls of
all the tribes had been cast upon this
altar, We have found these affairs in
several mounds, and sometimes we found
several affairs, so you see many OF the
great mounds were for other purposes
than burial"
Having spoken of the mounds, the
speaker introduced the subject of the ser
pent in Adams county. "The serpent"
said he, "was worshipped by the Mexicans
and Peruvians, and it apparently served
some purpose among the ancient people
of Ohio. To have one representation of
it in Adams county. 1t is partly of stone
but principally of earth" The speaker
then described its size and gave some
facts concerning it which are familiar TO
all people VINO have read historiesl of
America or even of ancient Ohio The
property surrounding the serpent to the
extent of sixty acres has been purchased
for the Peabody Museum by Boston
ladies, and is now in the hands of Prof
Putnam, who has already made some ex-
plorations into the mounds surrounding
and adjacent to the serpent with very en-
couraging results. he has found in the
mounds skeletons of people who must
have belonged to different eras, whose
bodies must have been laid in the mounds
by people who were not aware that
mounds had been used by other people
for the same purpose before. Prof. Put
nam hopes next year to make extensive
explorations, from which he thinks valu-
able facts concerning the mound builders
will be learned. He spoke of the oblitera,
ton of the mounds at Circeville, Cincin
natl and Marietta. He referred particu-
larly to the ancient fertilization on what
is called Fort Hill, in Highland countv
This fertilization contains forty acres,
and is probably 1000 years old. 1t can be
purchased for $4,000. Prof. Putnam
closed his lecture by urging the purchase
of this fertilization, and by asking the
society to create an interest in the ancient
history of Ohio among the masses of in
different people who are helping to OBJ
literate all traces of the remote pas
which was the present of the noun d
builders.